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Friday, June 26, 2009
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Sheriff's office details earlier incident involving baby
City Editor More details have emerged in the death investigation of Tila Friend-Ballinger, a 9-month-old girl who was pronounced dead Sunday at the Onamia hospital.
Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Kent Larson said the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Criminal Investigation Division responded to a request at 6 a.m. Sunday for assistance by the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department.
Tribal police on Wednesday classified the death as "suspicious."
The incident was reported to the sheriff's department as an unresponsive infant of Kelly Friend, 19, and Lance Ballinger, 23, at 17325 Virgo Road near Onamia. The initial call was received at about 5:45 a.m. by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Dispatch Center. Tribal police and medical personnel responded to the Virgo Road address and then later to a Migizi Drive residence.
The infant child, Tila Friend-Ballinger, was transported by ambulance to the Onamia hospital where the infant was pronounced dead a short time later. The body was transported to the Anoka County medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Those results are pending.
Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department and the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Investigation Division are investigating the death.
The child's father, Lance Ballinger, 23, was arrested Sunday for the consumption of alcohol, which is a violation of the conditions of his release from jail. Early Saturday, Ballinger had been released from the Mille Lacs jail after serving about 50 days in jail on a violation of domestic abuse/no contact order, gross misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor domestic assault. He was questioned by law enforcement Sunday and then re-entered the jail about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Jan Kolb, Mille Lacs County attorney, could not be reached for comment.
The Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Department, in a news release, indicated a previous incident was investigated last winter.
According to the news release:
The Onamia hospital reported an incident at 1:57 a.m. Nov. 5 to the Mille Lacs sheriff's office, Onamia Police Department and the Mille Lacs County Family Services Division.
Tila was then examined at the Onamia hospital and later flown to the North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.
No information was available Thursday about the extent or cause of Tila's injuries at that time.
The Onamia Police Department requested the assistance of the Mille Lacs County sheriff's office and at that time Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Investigator Brad Barnes with the assistance of a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator interviewed the child's mother, Kelly Friend, then 18, with regards to the details behind the child's injuries.
Mille Lacs Tribal Police Investigator Russ Jude and Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Investigator Jason LaSart interviewed the father of the child, Lance Ballinger, then 22. Other witnesses interviewed at that time included Friend's mother, Nicole Van Wert, then 33.
Later that same day a search warrant was executed on the Onamia residence where the incident occurred. The case was forwarded to the Mille Lacs County attorney's office for criminal review on Nov. 7 with additional information and statements forwarded up until Dec. 31.
The Mille Lacs County sheriff's office received a letter declining charges dated March 10.
Lance Ballinger has been arrested multiple times over the past three years on domestic assault or drinking-related charges.
KATHI NAGORSKI may be reached at kathi.nagorski@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5859.
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